Bone cement as used in orthopaedic surgery is formed from a liquid monomer and a powder polymer component which is mixed at the time of surgery. During the mixing process, air may be inadvertently introduced into the cement forming bubbles therein. Air bubbles within the cement may result in a decreased fatigue life for the cement.
Two basic methods have been developed aimed at limiting the amount of air bubbles remaining in the cement after mixing. First, numerous products have been developed for creating a partial vacuum during mixing under the theory that if the amount of air is reduced in the mixing chamber at the time of mixing, less can be introduced into the cement. Second, centrifugation has been used to rapidly spin the mixed cement such that any bubble trapped therein would migrate to the top of the container.